texasmesquite

Behind-the-scenes at 'Ace of Cakes'

Book gives readers an insider's peek at Food Network hit

By Robyn Bradley Litchfield -Montgomeryadvertiser.com

Duff Goldman -- star of Food Network's hit reality show "Ace of Cakes" -- isn't your typical bakery owner, and his cake-decorating techniques are anything but ordinary.

He and his talented team bring experience in graffiti art, architectural modeling, graphic design, painting, sculpture, performance art and more to the kitchen and make "any frosting-coated dream come true."
And it works with input from everybody: sous chef/decorator Geof, office man­ager Mary Alice, baker Adam, manager Jess, assist­ant manager Adrienne, in­ventory manager Mark, expeditor/decorator Kather­ine, artistic director/decorator Anna and decora­tors Elena, Ben, Mary, Ka­tie, Sofia, Erica, Sherri and Lauren.

They all participate in the show and helped to write this book, sharing bits about themselves and their work. Goldman said that with this group, it has become much more than a bakery.
"It's more like a gigantic art collective where a group of artists, musicians, paint­ers, sculptors and chefs have been thrown into a mixing bowl with TV producers, di­rectors, cameramen, sound techs and more to execute their craft and create some­thing, well, awesome," he said.
But no interview with Goldman would be complete without a question about his unusual first name.
When he was born, his big brother, Willie Goldman -- who happens to be co-cre­ator and co-executive pro­ducer of the show -- had trouble pronouncing "Jef­frey," which came out "Duf­fy." Not only did the name stick, but it made him stronger.
"Growing up with a name like Duffy, you have to fight a lot. People make fun of your name. But a name can certainly shape your desti­ny. If my name was Jeff Goldman, I would be a CPA," he said, with another laugh.
But that just doesn't fit his personality. Duff Goldman is a creative, fun-loving guy, former graffiti artist and cu­linary school graduate who is living his dream and hav­ing a blast.
He hopes people enjoy the book and appreciate the fact that it's a team effort, full of different voices.
"The thing about Charm City Cakes is that it's a group of people -- not just me -- all of us," he said.
And in the newly released "Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes" (William Morris Cookbooks, $35, October 2009), Goldman and his crafty crew serve up a little taste of what goes on behind the scenes of one of Food Network's biggest hits.
During a phone interview a few days ago from his Bal­timore-based bakery, Gold­man quickly pointed out what this book is not.
"One thing I knew I didn't want to do was write a cook­book or a how-to manual," he said. Baking a cake is not rocket science, and there are plenty of cookbooks for that out there already. And the Charm City Cakes staff's decorating techniques change frequently, he said, and most people would not have all the tools and equip­ment that's used on a regu­lar basis.
"For the first book, we wanted to sort of demystify who we are and what we do," said Goldman, who admits that they look like a rock band, which is true.
Some of their most recent creations include zombies eating a young filmmaker's brain, Marie Antoinette, a fast-food stack with ham­burger, hot dog and order of fries, whimsical tiered cakes and a wacky set of teeth top­ped with a diamond-studded "grill."
Goldman said requests are constant, and he is still amazed at customers' ideas. Often, though, customers will request cakes that they've seen on the show or at various events. When that happens, the Charm City Cakes staff suggests a way to personalize the designs for that particular customer.
"So if somebody requests a zombie cake, we would try to make it personal for them -- which also keeps it fresh for us -- and maybe do a zombie cat," he said, with a big laugh, which has sort of be­come his signature. (Every­body loves Goldman's laugh.)